Harold Loeb
Harold Loeb was an American businessman and writer born in New York City in 1891. Initially involved in various industries, including cement contracting and cattle ranching, Loeb transitioned to the literary world after purchasing a partnership in a New York bookshop in 1918. He later moved to Paris, where he became part of the expatriate community, befriending notable figures like Ernest Hemingway, Lady Duff Twysden, and Hadley Hemingway. Loeb is notably recognized as the inspiration for Robert Cohn, a character in Hemingway's novel "The Sun Also Rises," which depicted him in a negative light, leading to a personal fallout between the two. In response, Loeb authored his autobiography, "The Way It Was," in 1959 to counter Hemingway's portrayal. Throughout his career, he wrote several novels, although his later work focused on economics. Loeb passed away in 1974 and was buried in Marrakesh, Morocco. His life reflects the complexities of friendship, rivalry, and the literary landscape of the early 20th century.
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Harold Loeb
Writer
- Born: October 18, 1891
- Birthplace: New York, New York
- Died: January 20, 1974
- Place of death: Marrakesh, Morocco
Biography
Harold Loeb was born in New York City in 1891. Before 1918, he was a businessman, operating a cement contracting business and a cattle ranch. He had also held various other jobs, such as a supply purchaser for American Smelting and Lead Co. In 1918, he bought a partnership in a bookshop in New York and started to pursue writing. He later moved to Paris, where he met and befriended many other American expatriates who were living there. He was a friend to writers and expatriates such as Ernest Hemingway, Lady Duff Twysden, and Hadley Hemingway.
Loeb is the basis of the character Robert Cohn in Earnest Hemingway’s first significant novel, The Sun Also Rises, published in 1926, just over a year after the vacation upon which it was based. It was not a secret that Loeb was the basis of this character, and he was presented in a savage, unkind light. After this novel was published, Loeb and Hemingway became enemies, and Loeb reportedly chased Hemingway around Paris with a loaded gun. Later in his life, Loeb would write the book The Way It Was (1959), an autobiography that also served as a direct counter to his portrayal in Hemingway’s book. In this book, Loeb claimed that Hemingway sensationalized the story and misreported several instances.
Loeb wrote his first novel, Doodab, in 1925. While showing obvious marks of inexperience, the novel was well reviewed and in the next four years, Loeb wrote three more novels, but only two of them were published. In 1929, Loeb gave up on fiction and started to write on economics. Apart from his autobiography, Loeb wrote only economic papers and books and worked as an accountant. Loeb died in 1974, and was buried in Marrakesh, Morocco.